World Hijab Day

[Marzipanface]

AIBU to feel uncomfortable with this day and also really irritated at the lack of discussion over this event from a feminist perspective. There seems to be a wholesale silence from the Feminist blogs and papers I subscribe to, and I can't find any discussion on here. No-one wants to talk to about it.

Just that really.

Wow, some interesting thoughts and responses on this thread. As a hijab wearer it's fascinating to hear people's thoughts as to why people decide to wear one. I wonder how many people with such strong feelings actually know a hijab wearer in real life? For me it was a personal choice and there was no pressure involved. I'd like to think that as a relatively grown up, independent, working woman the fact that I wear is a hijab is of no concern to my friends, families or colleagues. They've all been really respectful of my decision and given some of the responses I've read on this thread, that makes me feel quite lucky.

It is interesting that nobody ever comes on these threads and says I cover because my husband wants me to or because my father makes me

Pity I cannot let your dishonest and hypocritical posts stand. Non-muslims thinking of muslims as lesser ???

You know full well it is the reverse and enshrined in Sharia and as such incorporated into the legal codes of many muslim majority countries such that non-muslims cannot hold certain positions, have different levels of compensation, are discriminated in custody issues, receive less victim recompense eye etc.

Stop coming on here playing the victim.

This sums up my position neatly:
Leaving Islam a Feminist Issue? For me, it most certainly was by atheistinaheadscarf

#NoHijabDay

started by Iranian women, for whom of course there is no choice

"Fact is that hijab wearers are most vulnerable to islamophobia hate crime so putting one on just to see what it feels like, or to demonstrate solidarity actually doesn't strike me as a ridiculous idea."

I agree widow and hijab wearing women should also try not to wear it for a day in solidarity with all women who don't wear it and are sexually harassed by Musim men who regard non-Muslim women as worthless and loose.

There is another thread here about women in cologne being harassed and this link was posted there today www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7289/pakistan-christian-girls. It's not only Muslim women who are despised for who they ares, it seems, but all women, all over the world, especially Christian women in Mulsim dominant countries such as Pakistan.

I think everyone should wear whatever they like and not be harassed for it by anyone. Women who are not covered up should be treated with respect my Muslim men and women and vice versa.

Peace

Never heard of it. If people want to do this it's up to them. I'd have nothing to do with it personally.

Nuns are in religious orders;Not really comparable.

There is a division created between the modest and immodest woman, however one may choose words to dress it up.

I work with a few hijab wearers and Muslim women who have chosen not to wear one. I support everyone's right to wear whatever the hell they like but I admit to feeling uncomfortable about niqabs. An example of this is the lady I was trying to have a conversation with - I simply couldn't understand much of what she was communicating simply because I couldn't hear her or read facial expression - I don't get why women are supposed to be 'modest' to the point of cutting themselves off to this extent. That's not modesty, that's exclusion.

I live in Birmingham and have seen a huge increase in the number of women I see wearing niqab in recent years - wonder why?

I agree you can't compare with nuns. Many orders don't wear those head covers anymore either. I did a documentary project on English convents many years ago, it was amazon. I remember one order near Portobello road where the women were not wearing their head gear as they felt it alienated them from the community they worked in. I though that was progressive. These nuns were lovely and interesting women.

it was amazon? amazing!

It's not about your personal choice to wear one, that is your right and I support it. I understand that you have good reasons personally for doing so. It's about actively celebrating something that for many women is a tool or symbol of oppression, of having to meet stricter standards of dress than men for reasons founded in a patriarchal view of women.

You can obviously rationalise it any way you like, it's your prerogative, but many women don't have the choice whether or not to wear one, so I don't think we need to have a special day extolling the virtues of wearing them. I think it's inappropriate. A World Day for Muslim Women would have my full support as a feminist.

"It's about actively celebrating something that for many women is a tool or symbol of oppression,"

that's true, it could be seen like that. World bf day for example is all about raising awareness of bf and promoting bf. Is this a campaign to promote the wearing of hijab then? Is it, in a way, a campaign to promote Islam to a wider audience? If it is, at least it is done in a fun and peaceful way, i suppose. Some women might even convert.

Fact is that hijab wearers are most vulnerable to islamophobia hate crime so putting one on just to see what it feels like, or to demonstrate solidarity actually doesn't strike me as a ridiculous idea.

It is a ridiculous idea. I don't want to see what it feels like. I'm sure there are better ways non Muslim women can demonstrate solidarity that don't involve patriarchal symbols of women's oppression in many countries of the world, and yes, quite often in this country too. Why would we be required to do that to discourage Islamophobia?

And your point about nuns is silly, they have devoted their lives to being religious. If women were still forced to join nunneries as they were in the past, I would be speaking against that too.

Ah, so women who devoted their lives to Christian religion is fine. Quite.

Nancy, women belonging to minority or discriminated groups are often reticent about speaking out for fear that their personal circumstances will be used to attack their religion, culture or race. It's not "interesting", it's .

Are you saying all women who wear a hijab in the world have devoted themselves to a religious life in the same way a nun has? That's an interesting view.

Widow, women wearing the hijab mostly haven't devoted themselves solely to Muslim religion and the study of god, they aren't abstaining from sex for the remainder of their lives, they've devoted themselves to their husband (or husband to be) and are covered so they don't sexually tempt any other men.

women belonging to minority or discriminated groups are often reticent about speaking out for fear that their personal circumstances will be used to attack their religion, culture or race.

Alternatively, perhaps they can't speak English, don't feel empowered to speak out because they're dominated by their male relatives or wouldn't question their decisions in any way, don't know how to reach out to others, or don't have access to the internet.

Actually I find it interesting, because we are not hearing from a section of society that this conversation is very relevant to. Very often on here I have read that covering is very much a personal choice and women are not forced to cover, I know this is not true in all cases and I wonder why those women that are made to cover don't ever come on and say their bit? There must be some on here somewhere.

I hate the idea of women being required to cover up, and particularly in my country where we have a proud and long history of political struggle for liberation - of the poor, of working class men (Chartism) of women (suffragettes).

Yet to say so is often deemed racist.

Let women wear what they want, but let me dislike what tbe hijab stands for. And let me protest against the imposition of this on women.

Let me protest against patriarchal religions which oppress women -- the 3 Abrahamic faiths are particularly guilty.

Haven't said that. But for some women wearing the hijab is inherent tp their faith and it is how they feel is right for them to practice. Just as you got some catholic orders that wear veils and others don't. But ultimately it is just a garment. I don't feel threatened or judged by any hijab wearer (as they most likely don't care what I do) and I don't feel threatened by devout Catholics (nun or not) or followers of other faiths. And that's where I see the parallel.

There's an awful lot of projecting going on into women's motives for wearing whatever.

I have nothing against hijabs if truly worn voluntarily but I suppose it can be a slippery slope, can't it?

You can't compare the ubiquity of hijabs with a few nuns wearing habits as there are really only very few nuns left in England and some have abandoned this type of old-fashioned garment. nunsandsisters.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/discarding-the-habit-good-or-bad-choice/

Truth be told, it'd be really weird if nuns with the traditional (and medieval looking) habits were popping up all over the place in the community and more and more Christian women started looking like this by following their fashion. Imagine girls going to catholic school in those clothes.. The traditional nun habit does look rather uncomfortable, warm, scratchy and plain.

I do find it really sad though that women who are not Muslim and don't cover their hair and shoulders are seen as sexual prej. Does anyone know why this is?

Nancy75 I had a student who said to me once in a personal tutorial that she had difficulties doing some of the set reading for my course because her father policed what she read. And that she knew the next battle was going to be about forcing her to wear the head scarf. And that after that, she fully expected he would require her to marry, whether or not she wanted to, and before she finished her degree.

I advised her to look into joining MI5 as she was very bright, and I knew they were looking for Arabic speakers.

What I thought of her father, I had better not say.

I find it sad that women are saying they choose to cover up. They are only choosing to do so because covering up has been promoted by islam (and in particular men in Islam) as the right or modest thing to do for centuries.

I very much doubt it was a woman, or group of women, who first thought - "I've had a fantastic idea, to show modesty and what good Muslims we are all women should cover their heads. It'll be brilliant! Of course men won't have to cover their heads becuase they are already modest enough..."

The whole women covering their hair/heads is just more misogynistic patriarchal bullshit that belongs in the Middle Ages. Sadly some less enlightened cultures don't seem to have moved out of the 14th century.

There's an awful lot of projecting going on into women's motives for wearing whatever.

I haven't "projected" anything. I'm not presuming any individual woman's motives for wearing a hijab. I am saying that many many women, directly and /or indirectly, don't have the choice. Who can say what they would do in a parallel universe where they did?

Your point about nuns is ridiculous. The analogy doesn't work. Goodnightdarthvader explained why not.